Chambana Sun

The Fighting Illini men's golf team secured a fourth-place finish at the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational, marking their seventh top-five placement this season. The event concluded with Illinois posting a team score of 856 (-8), aided by three players finishing in the top 20 individually.

Jackson Buchanan led the Illini, entering the final day with an 8-under lead over 36 holes. He ended three strokes behind Mercer’s Tobias Jonsson, who took home the medalist honors. Buchanan's total score of 210 (-6) earned him a tie for third place and marked his fourth top-five finish this season.

Buchanan maintained his position at 10-under through 13 holes on Sunday but encountered difficulties on holes 14 to 16, allowing competitors to close in. Despite these challenges, Buchanan's performance was notable as it marked his tenth career top-five finish with Illinois.

Other key contributors included Ryan Voois and Tyler Goecke, both making significant strides in their final rounds. Voois shot a final-round score of 69 (-3), moving up seven spots to tie for 14th place at 214 (-2). Goecke climbed nine positions on the leaderboard with a closing round of 70 (-2), tying for 37th place at 219 (+3).

Max Herendeen also contributed to Illinois' success by securing a tie for 20th place after shooting rounds of 74 and 70 on Saturday followed by a closing round of even-par (72) on Sunday. Ethan Wilson rounded out the team's efforts with a final round score of one-under (71), concluding his tournament tied for 49th at +7 overall.

The tournament saw seven teams finish under par, led by North Carolina, which claimed victory with an impressive team score of -21 (843). Texas and Oklahoma State finished just ahead of Illinois, while host Augusta completed the top five standings.

Next up for Illinois is their home event, the Fighting Illini Spring Collegiate scheduled for April 20-21 at Atkins Golf Club. This event will serve as their regular-season finale before postseason play begins.

For further updates on Fighting Illini men's golf, fans can visit FightingIllini.com or follow @IlliniMGolf across social media platforms including Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.